Juvenile delinquency is one of the most interesting, yet complex, phenomena in the United States

criminal justice system. Sociologists have devoted the most attention to the issue of criminality, and
many of them have steered their attention to basic questions about the nature of youth crime. Who
commits delinquent acts? Are trends of juvenile delinquency increasing or decreasing? What can society
do to prevent juvenile delinquency? Consequently, juveniles who violate the law receive considerable
attention from law enforcement officers, social service agencies, behavioral scientists, and
criminologists.

It is a tragedy that many American children grow up in dysfunctional families headed by substance
abusing parents, live in deteriorated neighborhoods, have access to dangerous weapons, are lured by
criminal gangs, and are constantly exposed to extremes of poverty and violence. Some suffer from
psychological and emotional problems. Why does the United States, considered the “wealthiest”
country on earth and the world leader in many social categories, come up short in areas of child
welfare? This latest generation of adolescents is lost in a world of materialism. By age eighteen, they
have spent more time in front of a cell phone and television than in a classroom; each year they may see
hundreds of murders, rapes, and violent assaults through various media platforms. What effects do
these exposures to poverty and violence have on child development?

Why do some kids continually get in trouble with the law, escalate the seriousness of their offenses, and
become adult criminals? Why do others desist from delinquent activities? The answers to these
questions are rooted deep in the theories of juvenile delinquency. However, by exploring the
environmental influences of family and school on adolescents, the nature and extent of juvenile
delinquency can better be explained.

Family Influence

The family is the key social institution that provides the nurturing socialization of young children (Glueck,
1967). The assumed relationship between delinquency and family life is critical today because the
traditional American family is rapidly changing. It has become a thing of the past. Today, it seems much
more of child-rearing is delegated to nannies, baby-sitters, and day care providers. Despite these
changes, many families are able to adapt and continue functioning as healthy and caring units. But some
families crumble under the chaotic stress, severely damaging the present and future of their children.

It is obvious that the family cannot totally control outside influences upon its members, but it can have a
significant impact on shaping the extent to which children are exposed to other major agents of
socialization. The connection seems self-evident because a child is first socialized at home and from the
beginning learns values, beliefs, and behaviors from parents and other family members. Any disjunction
in an orderly family structure could have a significant, negative impact on a child’s life. Despite good
intentions, it is simply more difficult for one parent to provide the same degree of control, discipline,
and support as two. Therefore, a broken home can be a strong determinant of a child’s law-violating
behavior.

The large number of married women working outside the home is a recent phenomenon in the last forty
years, which has undoubtedly impacted the American family. One of the major problems faced by
working mothers is finding adequate child care at affordable costs. This has created “latchkey children”,
which describes school-aged children who return home after school to an empty house. These children
are much more likely to get into trouble than children who return home to the supervision of a parent
or guardian.

School Influence

Since so much of children’s time is spent in school, it seems logical that some relationship exists
between delinquent behavior and what is happening, or not happening, in classrooms throughout the
country. Numerous studies have confirmed that delinquency is related to academic achievement, and
experts have concluded that many of the underlying problems of delinquency are intimately connected
with the nature and quality of children’s experiences at school (Smithmyer, Hubbard, & Simmons, 2000).

Schools are a basic channel through which the community and adult influences enter into the lives of
adolescents. The general path towards occupational prestige is education, and when juveniles are
deprived of this avenue of success through poor academic performance, there is a greater likelihood of
deviant behavior. Students who show signs of hyperactivity and aggression tend to deliberately disobey
authority figures, and thus, are more likely to be labeled as “bad students”, which can have a lasting
impact on a student’s entire educational career. “According to the Labeling Approach, this negative label
has impact upon the juvenile’s self-concept and very well may influence future behavior which
culminates in the self-fulfilling prophecy” (Siegel, 2000). In other words, students who are labeled early
in their educational career may engage in types of behavior which are expected to accompany those
labels.

Failing grades, truancy, and dropping out are only some of the responses available to students who do
not succeed in the school system. Students who cannot cope with the unsuccessful school experience
feel they essentially have two options: drop out, or go to school and cause trouble. Ironically, school
attendance laws limit those options to the latter. This feeling of frustration is usually vented as
aggressive behavior towards teachers and peers alike. So, the very kids who should not be in the school
environment are forced to attend because of compulsory education laws.
Because of the school’s significant role in the socialization of juveniles, a large part of the responsibility
for preventing delinquency seems to fall upon the school system. There are serious problems associated
with stereotyping, labeling, tracking, and programming failure into some students. Education officials
need to institute more programs that will make schools more effective instruments of delinquency
prevention. First and foremost, schools must take a proactive approach to improving students’
psychological assets and self-image, giving them the resources to succeed and resist antisocial behavior.
Schools should also focus on the continued cognitive development of students by increasing students’
awareness about the dangers of violent behavior, substance abuse, and delinquency in general. There
must also be counseling services available to help students who have already manifested behavioral
problems.

It is important to realize that the school system did not create juvenile delinquency. Thus, implementing
these types of educational programs does not guarantee a solution. However, schools can either
aggravate or reduce the problem according to the ways they dispense rewards and punishments.

Conclusion

It is clear that the school system and the family unit are primary agents of socialization for today’s
children. In these realms children learn the values, attitudes, and processes that will guide their actions
from adolescence into adulthood, and throughout the rest of their lives. Knowing the importance of
their roles in the lives of children places great responsibility on families and schools throughout the
country. Since there is such a significant correlation between these two social units and delinquency,
both units must be more proactive to prevent aggressive, antisocial behavior from escalating into
criminal behavior. If today’s adolescents are going to become tomorrow’s leaders, then society must
instill in them the upstanding values of character which will help them succeed, making a smooth
transition to adulthood.